Tianyulong
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| phylum | Chordata | Tianyulong is a heterodontosaurid, a group of small ornithischian dinosaur characterized by a slender body, long tail and a pair of enlarged canine-like tusks. They were herbivorous or possibly omnivorous. Tianyulong had unusual proportions compared to other heterodontosaurids. The head was large and the legs and tail were long, but the neck and forelimbs were short. Tianyulong has a row of long, filamentous integumentary structures on the back, tail and neck of the specimen. The similarity of these structures with those found on some theropods suggests their homology with feathers and raises the possibility that the earliest dinosaurs and their ancestors were covered with homologous dermal filamentous structures that can be considered primitive feathers ("proto-feathers").
For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Heterodontosauridae |
| clade | Diapsida | |
| order | Ornithischia | |
| clade | Dinosauria | |
| family | Heterodontosauridae | |
| genus | Tianyulong | |
| Period | Late Jurassic |
